


determination.

by soundscape



Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: Drabble, Gen, Introspection
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-11-29
Updated: 2019-11-29
Packaged: 2021-02-25 22:40:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 622
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21603130
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/soundscape/pseuds/soundscape
Summary: a drabble i wrote a while ago from sans pov on determination. originally requested by my friend. uploading for archive. formatting looked cooler on tumblr but whatevs. a bit more like introspective poetry than a coherent story.
Kudos: 6





	determination.

color: red. theme: **determination.**

> (purple) perseverance… _wises you._  
>  (blue) integrity… _grounds you._  
>  (light blue) patience… _pauses you._  
>  (green) kindness… _protects you._  
>  (yellow) justice… _equalizes you._  
>  (orange) bravery… _moves you._  
>  (red) **DETERMINATION…**

when a monster’s life, through old age, finds its close… it lies on the ground, immobilized. it has “fallen down” – and soon, will perish, turning to dust.

a “fallen” human. a _dead_ human. that’s how they perceived that kid’s existence. _the underground is no place for a human to be._

however.

when monsters turn to dust, their SOUL breaks. why is it that a human’s SOUL is capable of surviving past their death? what carries them through, allowing them to _SAVE,_ to _RELOAD,_ to–

**RESET.**

…

he can read their expressions clearly. when he does, there’s always a bout of déjà vu (déjà vécu?) which follows– but there are never any memories attached. no recollection whatsoever. it’s only a passing feeling. fleeting. almost tangible.

the best hold he has on this feeling comes as he guesses at the reason for experiencing it. as he analyzes the human’s eyes.

> guilt. _who did you kill?_  
>  apathy. _how many?_  
>  blood lust. _who’s your next target?  
>  _wariness. _i’ve killed you._  
>  sadistic joy. _i’ve died to you before._
> 
> _my friends have died to you before._

and, for some horrifying reason, he was never moved to act until the whole ride was over. that’s right. the king. the queen. the head of the royal guard. the underground’s favorite idol. the hotlands’ extraordinary scientist.

his brother.

he knows what this “determination” will do to monsters. when injected with _determination_ , they fuse together into grotesque mutations. in this timeline, _determination_ is what seems to cause all of the underground’s problems. it’s tiring. he’s tired. everyone’s dead. what does he care if the world is destroyed? he’ll be dead, too. he won’t know.

but still, he fights.

it could be argued that this timeline in particular is just one of many samples used in his research. that sense of déjà vécu? he might not care about going to the surface now, but, in another timeline, he could guarantee everyone made it there safely. with no one left behind. what a stark contrast to the crumbling, barren, _dusty_ world he’s exposed to now, huh.

but his research doesn’t lie. and he has to play gatekeeper in order to conserve this nightmare of a timeline, collecting information through his passing of judgment.

> when he fights the human, their _integrity_ is put to the test.  
>  (their soul turns **blue.** they are grounded.)  
>  _patience_ and _justice_ are reflected in his gaze.  
>  (his eye flashes **light blue, yellow.** the human’s soul is forcibly thrown to a side. ‘put in its place.’)  
>  his _perseverance_ (considered a synonym to _determination_ in most dictionaries) wears them down.  
>  (KARMIC retribution is **purple.** )

why does he fight to protect a broken timeline? why continue on with his research, when everything could be RESET with what seemed to be the wave of a wand? why do anything at all, when faced with an enemy that knows his every move, his every word, because they’ve experienced the same interactions over and over again themselves– interactions which he has no memory of?

> * heh heh heh. the answer’s obvious, buddy.

if it’s _determination_ destroying this timeline– it’s _determination_ saving another.  
the red stains of human blood, of destruction, of blind hatred.  
the red _warmth_ of a human SOUL, of continuity, of love.  
**_determination_ is a powerful, double-edged sword.**

> * just cause it’s a struggle doesn’t mean it ain’t worth it.  
>  * who knows. maybe, just maybe, through studying [determination]…  
>  * … us monsters are naturally developing some of the stuff for ourselves.

knowing the _mouse_ might one day **leave its hole** and get the _cheese_ … fills you with DETERMINATION.


End file.
